The Towers

Kyle went out for drinks with some clients last night at The Sky Bar which is on the 33rd floor of a hotel in the city. He took this really cool picture of Petronas Towers. Just thought I would share it. Enjoy.

Not So Thanksgiving

I guess you really don't realize that Thanksgiving is only an American holiday until you move overseas. Kyle worked today, Samantha went to school and Emily and I went to IKEA. Not your typical Thanksgiving. We had a mini celebration for dinner including nice place mats, cloth napkins and fresh flowers. That was pretty much it. Ham/Cheese potatoes and broccoli, again not typical. The strange part is that without the hype and everyone else celebrating it kind of comes and goes and you don't really feel like you are missing it.

Nonetheless we are still very thankful. Samantha said she is thankful for people, flowers and Emily. Kyle and I are thankful for all our family, near and far. Our health and an amazing opportunity to live in another part of the world. We are especially grateful that we can spend Christmas in the US with family and friends. We miss them, especially today.

PS - Kyle is also thankful that there is another Hari Raya holiday tomorrow. He has the day off which means if he gets up really early he actually gets to see a few football games. Go Cowboys!

My First Bike

Well we have a terrible tradition of really screwing with Samantha's birthday. She is a mid-late December baby and it is so close to Christmas that we have tried a summer party, family only party, in October (while pregnant with Emily) and this year since we are going to be in the states for her actual birthday we bought her gift early. We wanted to get her a bike and there was no way to pack and ship that so today Samantha and Kyle went bike shopping. We had previously been to Toys R Us and they had a small selection with a few bright pink Barbie bikes, which of course Samantha loved. But in Kyle's words "cheap ass Barbie". So today with daddy's insistence they went to a "proper" bike store and found this green and yellow beauty. Samantha absolutely LOVES the baby seat on the back and the basket in the front. I don't think she cares that it is not pink. Major coup for Kyle. Although she did pick out a pink and purple bike helmet to compensate. It is a little refreshing to step away from pink I must say.

When we got home she went for a short stroll and did pretty well. I think it will take some practice to get used to peddling and also the hand brake. Kyle was such a proud daddy to see her riding around. I hope the rain stops so she can play with it before we leave. Only two weeks! We are excited.

Little Piggies

I couldn't resist sharing these photos of Emily. She has the BEST little curls in her hair and today I gave her little piggies. She looked so freaking cute! I took her for her one year check up the other day and she is 105% in height and 55% in weight. I guess she is going to be tall. Since everyone calls her a mini version of Kyle it makes sense. All else is well. She has 9 teeth, no more fangs. Four on top and then the four middle ones on the bottom. Then just this week she skipped a tooth on the bottom and cut another further back on the right. I think her teeth just do their own thing. She is also walking now. A little unstable still but walking more than crawling. Yeah Emily. She even goes down the steps on her belly. I forgot how much they are learning at this age. She also LOVES to talk on the phone or anything that looks like a phone. She can say "mama", "dada", "hot", and "hi". Not bad first words. I guess this post turned from a cute photo to the one year update. Oh well it is hard not to brag about your kids.

Yesterday we had to go back to the doctor and get our flu jabs (they call them jabs here, not shots). We did Samantha first and she didn't even see it coming. Then mommy and poor little Emily got two jabs. One for the flu and her MMR vaccination. We have to back after the first of the year so she can get 3 more vaccination jabs. Surprisingly everyone feels fine. Samantha did limp out of the office. Sympathy limp for sure because when we got home it was swim lesson time and she swam for 45 minutes no problems.

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping

Today I went with my friend Kim to Peter Hoe's. What an AMAZING store. It is located in downtown KL very close to the Central Market and also Chinatown. It is a home furnishing mecca. I was glad Kim drove because she knew exactly where to go but more importantly where to park. Now I am officially ready for visitors that like to shop.

I bought a few gifts and of course, a few things for myself. Not cheap but not expensive either. I need to take a full day and just wander all around this area. So much to see and do.

The year round warm weather does have it's drawbacks...rain, rain, rain. On our way out of the store is was POURING down rain. I had an umbrella but with our packages we didn't have the hands to hold it. We got soaked! What we do for a good retail therapy.

Fringe Benefits

So who knew I was getting ripped off with itunes? Our friends had told us about "questionable" copies of dvd's (both TV and movies) and yesterday I can confirm that you can get any movie/tv show before it is even released for a FRACTION of the price. Fringe benefit of living in Asia. I went to our local movie store and bought Entourage Season 6, The Tudors Season 3, and Cinderella. It is 10 ringit per CD and if you buy 4 you get one free. So all of the above cost me 50 ringit or $14. I have been paying over $30 for one tv series on itunes! Not to mention you can't even buy Cinderella in the states right now.

Kyle was worried about the quality but we watched Entourage last night and it was just fine. I am so addicted to that show. We were supposed to pace ourselves but we watched four episodes last night. I predict we will be done by the end of the week.

Any orders?

Kyle's Birthday

Today is Kyle's birthday so we celebrated with Japanese Cheesecake. I had it at a friends house recently and it was pretty good. It tastes like 1/2 cheesecake and 1/2 cake. Very light and yummy. Kyle liked it but has decided he would rather have "regular" cheesecake next year.

Samantha thought Daddy needed tools for his birthday so we decided to get a big tool box for Daddy and his girls. Samantha could hardly wait for Kyle to get home so they could "fix something". They are in the living room playing now. Kyle is explaining each tool and its function in true Kyle fashion. Surprisingly, Samantha is listening intently.

We sang happy birthday and blew out the candles, then I bought some silly string. So I first sprayed Kyle and got it in his eye on accident. Then I turned to spray some near Samantha and it scared her to death. She started whaling which then caused Emily to scream at the top of her lungs. You can imagine the scene. Silly string is wetter and messier than I remember. Samantha says "why did you spray me mom?" I say "I thought you would giggle" she says "but I didn't giggle, I cried". I don't think silly string will be a tradition around here.

Emily's Family Birthday

Kyle came back from Norway on Friday so we celebrated Emily's birthday on Saturday. She didn't know it was the 7th and not the 5th. We woke up and unwrapped presents first. Samantha did most of the unwrapping. Emily loved her riding horse from Tima/Grandpa, her play food from Granny and Bepa was in her mouth all morning and she is a natural with the guitar from her sister. Kyle and I got her some clothes (boring) and also a play tent. I need to exchange the tent because it is not big/stable enough for both girls to play. Maybe tomorrow we will pick out a different one.

Then with Samantha's input we decided to check out the deer park. Well, be thankful we did that before anyone visited and got dragged to that LAME place. First it was really hot and we were procrastinating this morning so it was also close to lunch by the time we got there. I guess it worked out okay that is was so lame because then we did not have to stay long. The deer were smelly and it one small area. The path was a TON of stairs and not stroller friendly. We stayed long enough to snap and few photos and then left. Off to Chili's for lunch.

After nap it was cake time. Emily was not sure what to do and made a small mess until I put her hand in it. Then she got the idea. We got a few cute photos. Samantha had a tough time with it being Emily's day but we assured her that her birthday was coming soon. All in all, a good family day.

Emily's Friend Birthday Party

Well tomorrow our wee one is turning one year old! Holy crap a year has gone by fast. I decided to combine the weekly play group and a small birthday celebration. She is only one and all the other kids are younger so it was nothing elaborate but they had fun. We had balloons and bubbles. I actually bought an automatic bubble maker and we put it on the second story ledge inside our atrium so the bubbles floated down like rain. The kids would stand at the window and giggle. It was cute. Here are a few pictures of Emily and her friends.

Kyle is in Norway so we are going to celebrate with the family on Saturday. I am saving the first cake experience for then. I wouldn't want Kyle to miss that. I am not sure who is more excited Emily or Samantha. Wait...definitely Samantha. I will post again with more photos.

Halloween

After seeing the pictures you must think all those years at Laura Mercier really paid off with Samantha's amazing fairy face. Well, not exactly. Earlier today Kyle took Samantha to Feffy's (the kids spa mentioned in an earlier post) to get her bangs trimmed and she came home with fairy makeup, painted fingers, painted toes and the haircut. I think the girls down there saw a daddy with "SUCKER" on his forehead. Nonetheless, she loved it and it was perfect for a fairy princess.

Our neighborhood organized a group trick or treat so all the kids met at the pool at 7:30 and toured from house to house together. There was probably about 25 kids or so. They had a great time. Our 15 year old neighbor, Alicia, pushed Emily in the stroller so Kyle and I hung back and mingled with all the other parents. Emily could not have looked cuter and I think she knew it. She was a trooper right up until the end, happy as a bee.

Now what to do with all this candy?

Halloween Treats

Samantha and I made these ghostly pudding cups yesterday and they turned out so cute. The recipe showed them in a small glass with the ghost on top but I didn't have the right size so we used wine glasses and put the ghosts inside. Samantha did her own version in little plastic cups. Ohhh the domestic creativity!

Hammam & Gommage

Any guesses on the content of this post?

The beginning of this week started out tough with a stomach bug that bit the whole family. I am not sure I have ever done so much barfed-on, shit-on laundry in my life. Not to mentioned dealing with my own issues that I inherited from the kids. Thankfully everyone is feeling better and that leads me to the content of this post.

In the wake of our illness I scheduled an appointment at the spa. I CERTAINLY deserved it this week. My friends had told me about this place called Hammam and raved about their amazing body polish. So I went and made the appointment and they said their most popular treatment was the Hammam & Gommage. Sold. I picked up a menu of services and left.

This morning I get up, shower, and do a great blow dry on my hair. Not sure what I was thinking since it was a scrub treatment but whatever. I get there and they give me a key to locker and tell me to put on the disposable bra, panties and the robe. Thank god the bra and panties were "normal" size and not like every other place here that gives you Asian size panties that cut off the blood flow to your legs. The bra was like a bandeau top that tied in the back, so believe it or not, no problems there either. As I leave the dressing area I notice that all the women that work there are also wearing robes. Hmmm. They escort me to a marble room that has a bench all around the edge and spa-like "wood decking" as the floor. It was wet all over and about the size of a large sauna. It felt like a sauna too, hot and steamy. I take of my robe and she takes off hers too. Under which, she is wearing a bathing suit. It is a tankini top and skirt which are as professional as a bathing suit could be if you are wearing it to work. Then I sit on the marble bench seat next to this ornate spigot of water and she proceeds to drench me in warm water using this large scoop/bucket, but with a handle. At this point I think she could read my face and she says "first time?" I reply "yes". Then she asks if it is okay to get my hair wet. There goes the great blow dry. She soothingly dumps water all over my body while I am sitting then asks me to stand up where she cleans me some more. Pulling out the underwear and bra to make sure water goes everywhere. Then she applies a creamy like soap all over me and instructs me to relax for ten minutes. I lay down on the bench and then realize that all the marble walls are heated. I am not sure if any of you watch The Tudors but I have been catching up and wouldn't you know the episode I saw last night was from the first season where they all had the sweating sickness. My luck. It was all I could think about as I lay there sweating my ass off. I finally come around and decide that I am purging out all the stomach bug toxins and this is good.

After my ten minutes are up she comes back in and we go to an adjoining room that has two marble "beds". I lay down on my stomach and the "bed" is heated which is nice. Keep in mind everything is wet, wet, wet. She then proceeds to start scrubbing. Not exactly relaxing but not painful either. She starts at my feet and works up my legs. Then I kid you not, she gives me a wedgie and continues to scrub my cheeks progressing to my back and then onto my arms. Once the backside is sufficiently polished I flip over and it starts again on the front side. Feet on up, till she gets to my bra which is moved completely off my boobs and they get their fair share of the scrub too. Let's just say this treatment is not for the modest. After all the scrubbing I sit up and notice some "herb-like" particles on my legs on on the table. I am thinking they are like raw tea or something used in the treatment. Then she tells me it is my DEAD SKIN. You would not believe how much I slough off. I felt like a snake. Then she asks "you never scrub?", then I say "obviously not enough". She suggested that you scrub once a month and explained in Monaco they sometimes scrub once a week. I would have no skin left if I did this once a week.

Not over yet, we go back to the sauna room and she used the scoop/bucket and completely rinsed me off. Then she washed and conditioned my hair. Interesting touch but at this point I am going with the flow. (No pun intended.) At the end she actually dried me off with a towel and put my robe back on. Talk about service. A little tea and a rest in the cool lounge area felt so good. Overall a cool experience that I will do again. At least I know what to expect now. I will also add a massage to the end and be completely indulgent.

At home I read the menu of services and Hammam means "spreader of warmth" in Arabic and has roots in ancient Greek-Roman bathhouse culture. Should have read that before.

Don't be disappointed but no pictures.

Venacular

I have been creating a list of all the different English terms used here and I now have enough for a post. Some of them I think are Australian and some from the UK. The first time I heard most of these it took me a minute to figure out what they were saying. They now seem normal. I have a feeling we will be adopting these terms and then have to adjust again when we get back to the states.

Gas = Petrol

Bangs = Fringe

Eggplant = Aubergine

Bell Peppers = Capsicums

To Go = Take Away

Band Aide = Plastic

Line = Que

Trash = Rubbish

Diet Coke = Coke Light

Mommy = Mummy

Miss = Auntie

Diaper = Nappie

Yell = Make Noise

I am sure there are more but this is all I got for now.

Gold Class

So here it is...the ultimate movie experience GOLD CLASS. Yes, we are talking reserved seats (so no rush to get a good one), leather recliners, pillow, blanket and refreshments served right to you. Nice, very nice. The pictures also show the private entrance and the lounge waiting area. All pretty swank.

Here is the big downer, the movie choices here suck. For the longest time the Gold Class was only showing Transformers and from what I have heard they (the government) also edits some movies. Tonight we saw Whiteout. Okay flick but nothing great.

I will say it was not cheap, 60RM or $17 each but considering the ticket in the states would be almost $10 and the drink another $10 it might not be so bad. We hardly ever go to the movies and I have a feeling this is the only way we will be going from now on.

Deepavali

From one public holiday to the next. We are now celebrating Deepavali which is a Hindu holiday for the Indian population. It is similar to Hari Raya in that it is a time for family and friends to get together.

Again the wikipedia version -

As per Hindu calendar, the five day festival of Deepavali is centered on the new moon day that ends the month of Ashwin and begins the month ofKartika, beginning on the 13th day of the dark half of Ashwin and ending on the 2nd day of the bright half of Kartika. The main day of celebration varies regionally.

Deepavali is a Sanskrit word - Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. It means a row of lights and indeed illumination forms its main attraction. It symbolises that age-old culture of India which teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Deepavali, the festival of lights even to-day in this modern world, projects the rich and glorious past and teaches us to uphold the true values of life.

In Hinduism, across many parts of India and Nepal, it is the homecoming of Rama after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory overRavana.^[10] In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Rama by lighting rows (avali) of lamps (dĭpa), thus its name: dīpāwali. Over time, this word transformed into Deepavali in Hindi and Dipawali in Nepali, but still retained its original form in South and East Indian Languages. In Dravidian languages it is called as Deepavali and the same is used in Malaysia and Singapore.

The picture below is called Murukku. Samantha made some of this at school. You would expect it to be sweet but it is actually savory. Pretty good, although our maid tried it and said that her mom makes it and she would bring us some better ones.

The other part of Deepavali are these amazing rice pictures. They take colored rice and then arrange it into these huge masterpieces. Kyle took some pictures of this one that was all the way a staircase at one of the nice malls here. They are really beautiful and always done with bright colors. I need to take a close shot so you can see how many million pieces it takes to make these huge displays.

Hari Raya

Hari Raya is the biggest Muslim holiday of the year and they celebrate it it mid September after they break fast for Ramadan. It is a time of year where many people have open houses in which hundreds of friends stop by. You either host or you make the rounds to all the other open houses.

Here is the wikipedia explanation -

Hari Raya Aidilfitri (literally "Celebration Day of Fasting") is the Malay term for the Muslimfestival of Eid ul-Fitr. Hari Raya is also known as Lebaran. Muslims in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. The term "Hari Raya" literally means "Day of Celebration" — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of "Hari Raya Aidiladha". The main greeting used by Muslims in Malaysia and Singapore is "Selamat Hari Raya" which means "Happy Eid" in Malay. Another greeting is "maaf zahir dan batin" which translates loosely to "I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually", for Hari Raya is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.

Samantha's school also celebrated the holiday. Here are a few pictures of the typical decorations and outfits. Autie Sharon also served a tasting of all the traditional Hari Raya food items. The other picture is Samantha in her baju kurung (outfit).

For My Grandpa

Take 1 and Take 2, we wanted Emily to also be a part of the birthday wishes.

Duhhh

So we are still renting my car, a Toyota Avanza, and just can't take the plunge to buy a car yet. But I have to say, renting has its perks. For instance, about 3 weeks ago I went to take the girls to gymnastics and my car would not start. I cranked and some of the lights came on but it would not turn over. Of course I stood there and turned the key probably 15 times hoping for a different result. Urgh. Thankfully we can walk to gymnastics so I then loaded the kids in the stroller and went. It was smokin' hot that day which only added to the bitchiness. Kyle picked us up on his way home and we called the rental place. They sent a technician late that night. As the bell rang and Kyle was walking down the stairs he says "I bet that car starts right up." I then say "it might, but it certainly didn't earlier today!" Five seconds later I hear the car running. Diagnosis - the car was in drive not park. Duhhh. You would think they could have asked me a few questions before sending this poor guy over at 9:30 at night to find out the dumb ass female had it in drive.

Then yesterday we were heading out and Kyle noticed that there was a screw in my back right tire. The tire was not flat yet but it seemed inevitable. So that afternoon I called the car rental company again and they said they would send someone out. A few minutes later the guy calls to get directions and when I tell him we live in Villa Aseana, he says "oh, I know where you are. Last time you car not start right?" I then have to to admit "yes, that is us." Upon arrival we show him the screw and he goes to his car and get a pair of pliers to pull it out. I kid you not he pulled out the shortest screw I have ever seen. Like the kind you use in an electrical switch plate. It was so short that it was only in the tread and did not even puncture the tire. This guy was such a good sport, smiling the entire time. "I think your problem solved" he says. All the while Kyle and I are standing there wishing WE had pulled out the mini screw. And with that, we might have confirmed that we are the biggest dumb asses in KL.

Ah the joys of rental... their problem, not ours.

Date Night

Saturday night Kyle and I had date night. We went to a restaurant called Opus Bistro which is somewhat Italian. The food and wine were excellent, only problem was that we were done in a about 1.5 hours, which seemed too short. So we decided to go get foot massages. The foot reflexology place down the street was actually open and stayed open until midnight. Hard to believe those hours in the states. The place itself has about 8 "beds" which are more like oversized lazy boys that fully recline. They served us red bean soup (???) and warm water. They also give you an eye mask and a towel to use as a blanket. You get a warm foot soak, short scrub and then the best foot massage ever. At the end they even rub your neck and back. What a way to end the date. Not great pictures from the iphone, but doesn't Kyle look relaxed?

I have to admit I am going at least once a week. Since it is only 40 ringit ($12) why not? I have also decided that if/when we have guests this will be the first place I take them. My treat. Any takers???